Gender and Society (1) Flashcards
What are some reasons for the change of family landscape in Britain?
- Ease of Divorce
- Single Parents
- Homosexual relationships
What is Feminism?
- Name given to a wide range of movements that sought equality, freedom and dignity for women
- Has gone through ‘waves’ which shifts and developments in views
Outline Harriet Taylors ‘first wave’ of feminism and the view she posited?
- In her ‘Enfranchisement of Women’ for the right to vote
- ‘equality in all rights, political, civil and social with all male citizens’
- True partnership of male and female is equal pay and financial independence
What social reforms were made as a result of the ‘first wave’ of feminism?
- State-funded child care
- More flexible working hours
- Maternity leave for women
What was the ‘second wave’ of feminism and who was the advocate of this?
- True equality could only be achieved when both men and women mindset changed
- No change of attitudes would result in a male-dominated patriarchal society
- Betty Friedan
What point did Betty Friedan make in her ‘The feminine mystique’?
- Research showed that those women who played the role of the homemaker in the 50’s was leaving them unfulfilled, bored and frustrated
- Knowing other women felt like this gave them the courage to break away from traditional roles, and not play into the ‘feminine mystique’
What was Simone De Beauvoir’s aims?
- She wanted to challenge the deep seated prejudices that make women seem inferior to men
- Asserted the idea that women need to change their mindsets along with men
What is De Beauvoir’s false-consciousness?
- Women who have an objectively false view of themselves in line with societally created gender roles
- This leads women to lack freedom and self-worth, they need to break away from this false-consciousness for true freedom
Quote De Beauvoir in the ‘Second Sex’?
“not born, but rather becomes a woman”
- You are not born with gender roles, society traps you and defines you by these
- Women are encouraged to believe in the ‘Eternal Feminine’, this does not exist and women should choose what they want to do
What is the ‘glass ceiling’ women still face today?
- Despite being able to get male roles (Jobs etc), there still does seem to be a ‘glass ceiling’ of what they can achieve
- They are limited to access the highest roles, in political, science and legal professions
What is the issue of sex and gender roles?
- Argued that gender is more complex than sex, it refers to ones masculine/feminine traits
- Can be said gender roles change over time, e.g women
- Argument about whether gender is related to biological sex or a social construct as a whole
What is the Essentialist view on sex and gender?
- There are feminine and masculine characteristics that are a product of biology and nature
- Womens bodies are designed for child birth and nurturing whereas men are more muscular to show dominance in the work place
What is the Existentialist view on sex and gender?
- Gender are a product of nurture through culture and upbringing
- E.g the sexualisation/objectification of women was a social construct created by men
- E.g in some cultures curvy bodies are desirable whereas in some its facial factors
What is Marx’s notion of human interaction and how is this linked to gender?
- Marx believed that human interaction is about power and which group dominates another
- Secular approach asserts that sexuality is not essentialist/existentialist but rather about power
What is the purpose of sexuality for Michel Foucault?
- Sexual history shows that sexuality cannot be defined in binary terms of male and female
- ars erotica; believes the purpose of sex is for companionship, pleasure and education
- Sexuality covers all practices, heterosexual, homosexual and transgender
